Cleveland Indians: 3 takeaways from the series vs. Tampa Bay

The Cleveland Indians had yet another tough series, dropping two of three to the Tampa Bay Rays. Here is what stood out from the series.

The Cleveland Indians dropped yet another series this week, making it three straight. Two losses to the Tampa Bay Rays gives the Indians six losses in the last nine games, and things won’t get easier this weekend against the Houston Astros.

The offense continues to struggle to put up runs, but the starting pitching is also not pitching at the elite level we all expected.

This is neutralizing what is arguably the best bullpen in baseball, frustrating fans when the camera pans to Andrew Miller just sitting in the bullpen waiting for a lead to come hold.

It has been an up and down few weeks, so let’s look at what stood out from the recent series against the Rays.

1. A great debut

The main positive from the series was the debut of Bradley Zimmer. His three-strikeout performance in his first game wasn’t ideal, but he bounced back Wednesday with his first career hit, a double, followed by his first career home run.

It was awesome to see the heralded rookie pick up these firsts, especially with his proud family in attendance.

With injuries to Abraham Almonte and Brandon Guyer, there is no reason why Zimmer should be sent down before mid-June at the earliest. And if he is doing well, it may be Guyer or Almonte, or even Austin Jackson, who lose out on a roster spot.

2. The starting pitching continues to be tough on the eyes

Monday: Carlos Carrasco allows five earned runs in 3.2 innings.

Tuesday: Danny Salazar allows five earned runs in five innings.

Wednesday: Josh Tomlin allows six runs in 2.1 innings.

Struggling offense or not, the starting pitching must improve if the Indians want to remain in contention throughout the summer.

Carrasco has been the only consistent one, and he did leave Monday’s start with an injury, so perhaps that was the cause of his struggles.

Regardless, no one has stood out and been dominant in every start, while Salazar, Tomlin and Trevor Bauer have been flat out bad on most nights.

Limiting runs is the most basic key to winning, and it has been a problem for the starters all season.

3. Edwin at the Mendoza line

Edwin Encarnacion had a nice game on Wednesday, going 2-for-4 with a two-run blast over the wall in center field. It wasn’t enough to lead the team to victory, but it was a nice change from the usual inefficiency at the plate.

The problem was his series totals saw him finish 2-for-12 at the plate, including an 0-for-5 game on Monday. His batting average currently sits at .203 and he has already been moved down to the number five spot in the order.

Next: Zimmer bounced back in his second game

If he continues to play this poorly, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him moved down to sixth to swap spots with Jose Ramirez.